1. Field
The present application relates to dental restorations, and more particularly to systems, devices, and procedures for dental restorations.
2. Related Technology
A crown and bridge is a main example of dental restorations for restoring a missing or damaged tooth. When a crown and bridge prosthesis is chosen for restoring a missing tooth, the two adjacent teeth of the missing tooth are modified (cut) and prepared. Then, a copy of the tooth preparation is made by taking an impression of the oral configuration including the missing tooth and modified teeth. The copy is sent to a dental lab for the construction of a desired prosthesis. The preparation of the adjacent teeth typically exposes internal structures of the teeth including dentin and/or pulp tissues. Since fabricating the prosthesis takes some time, e.g., a period of one to three weeks, in order to cover and protect the exposed portions, typically a temporary prosthesis can be made and installed. Once the desired prosthesis is received from the dental lab, the temporary prosthesis is removed, and the prosthesis is placed over and cemented to the abutments, i.e., the prepared adjacent teeth.
In modifying and preparing teeth, once cutting is done in natural teeth, it is not reversible. When cutting is excessive, dentin and pulp tissues can be damaged. The preparation of teeth, particularly the amount cut or precision of cut, heavily depends on the hand skills and experience of the dentist. Presently there appears no technology that practically replaces hand skills and experience of dentists. Also, there appears no technology that significantly improves hand skills of dentists and significantly reduces the risk of possible inaccuracies of dentists.
The foregoing discussion is to provide background information of the invention and does not constitute an admission of prior art.